Devices for use in cleaning golf balls



Feb. 19, 1963 o. P. MCDONALD THOMSON 3,077,626

DEVICES FOR USE IN CLEANING GOLF BALLS Filed Dec. 2, 1960 Inventor Dav:Cl Pe'fe Mc D07'1a/d7/7Q711Son 7% MM 714% WW Attorney United StatesPatent 3,077,626 DEVIGES FOR USE IN CLEANING GOLF BALLS David PeterMcDonald Thomson, Amulree, Wellesley Road, Methil, Fifeshire, GreatBritain Filed Dec. 2, 1960, Ser. No. 73,331 Claims priority, applicationGreat Britain Jan. 26, 1960 1 Claim. (Cl. 15-97) This invention relatesto devices for use in cleaning golf balls.

According to the present invention I provide a device for use incleaning golf balls comprising a casing having an opening through whicha golf ball may be inserted, a carrier member within the casing adaptedto receive the golf ball, when so inserted, and adapted to be rotatedand to entrain the ball within the casing, and friction cleaning meanswithin the casing adapted frictionally to engage the ball and to cleansame when the ball is circulated within the casing by rotation of saidcarrier member.

A device for use in cleaning golf balls according to the invention isillustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a front elevation showing the device with a golf ball insertedand about to be cleaned, and

FIG. 2 is a view showing the interior of the device, the casing of thedevice being shown in section on the line II-II of FIG. 1, and thecarrier member within the casing being shown in plan view.

Refering to the drawing, the golf-ball cleaning device shown comprises adrum-shaped casing provided with a preferably detachable end cover 11and forming a housing for a manually rotatable golf-ball carrier memberin the form of a disc 12 mounted on a spindle 13 journalled in the endsof the casing 10. A crank handle 14 secured on the front end of thespindle 13 is operable to effect rotation of the carrier member 12. Asshown in FIG. 2, the carrier member 12 is so mounted within the casing10 that it is located nearer to the front end cover 11, than to the beakwall, of the casing 10.

The casing 10 is provided with a top U-shaped opening 15 and the member12 is provided with a U-shaped recess 16 adapted to receive and retain agolf ball 17 introduced through the opening 15 into the recess 16, sothat on rotation of the member 12 the golf ball 17 is whirled aroundorbitally within the casing 10.

The casing is laterally lined with friction material which, in theembodiment shown, is constituted by foamed or sponge plastic materialincluding a front end wall lining 18, a rear end wall lining 19, and arear end annular peripheral lining 20. The member 12 is so positionedwithin the casing 10 in relation to the linings 18, 19, 20 that, when agolf ball is whirled around with the member 12, the surface of the ballis frictionally cleansed by its engagement with the linings, the motionof the ball being compounded of its orbital motion and a spinning motionabout its own centre, whereby all of the surface of the ball is engagedwith the linings. In practice, a limited amount of water and/ordetergent is introduced into the casing whereby to maintain the linings18, 19, 20 in moist condition and so ensure proper cleansing of theball. The boundary of the U-shaped recess 16 in the member 12 may beangled as shown at 16a in FIG. 2, with respect to the plane of rotationof the member 12, or may be otherwise shaped, in order to promoterotation of the ball about its own centre. As shown in FIG. 2, theplain-dotted circle 17a indicates a ball in position within the recess16, and the chain-dotted circle 17b indicates the whirling position ofthe ball in relation to the friction linings 18, 19, 20, it beingunderstood that these linings are interrupted at the casing opening 15.

The device shown is intended to be suspended from a golf-bag by strapmeans including a collar portion encircling the casing 10, or otherwise.

A cover may be provided for the opening in the casing, and there may bemore than one recess provided in the disc so that a plurality of ballsmay be cleaned at the same time.

The device is preferably made small and portable to be suspended from agolf bag or golf bag carrier by a strap passing around the peripheralwall of the casing and' through eyes thereon, but may be made in largersizes and be located, for example, on a tee on a golf course.

Various modifications may be made without departing from the scope ofthe invention as defined in the appended claims. For example,alternatively or in addition to bristles or other material, othercleaning material, for example sponge, may be used. Thus, in thedirection of rotation of the disc, the cleaning material may be insuccession hard bristles, soft bristles, sponge, and a drying pad. Theopening for the ball may alternatively be provided in one side of thecasing only.

The device is preferably made of plastics but may be made of metal.

I claim:

In a device for use in cleaning golf balls comprising a drum-shapedcasing having an opening through which a golf ball may be inserted, acarrier member within the casing having a recess for the golf ball whenso inserted, and rotatable for entrainment of the ball within thecasing, opposed front and rear walls forming part of said casing, spongelinings fixed to said walls for frictionally engaging the ball andcleaning same when the ball is so entrained; said carrier member beinglocated nearer the lining on one wall than the lining on the other wall,whereby rotation of the ball about its own centre is promoted, theboundary wall of said recess being convergent transversely of thecarrier member in a direction towards the lining to which the carrier isnearer, whereby rotation of the ball about its own centre is furtherpromoted, and an annular peripheral portion on the lining further fromthe carrier stepped nearer the carrier member than the remainder of saidlining, whereby rotation of the ball about its own centre is stillfurther promoted.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,747,7M- Mollart Feb. 18, 1930 2,744,274 Procario et al. May 8, 1956FOREIGN PATENTS 203,108 Great Britain Sept. 6, 1923

